We're an independent, student-run newsroom.

The Daily Californian covers the city of Berkeley and the campus in unparalleled detail, all while training the future of the journalism industry.
Consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the face of Berkeley.

As undocumented students begin receiving the results of their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, or DACA, applications, some on the East Coast have been rejected because of a delivery error with the United States Postal Service.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency said their rejections were final, despite the USPS admitting fault for the mailing incident.

On Wednesday, 24 U.S. senators sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, urging them to reconsider the rejected DACA renewal requests that arrived after the deadline because of USPS processing delays.

“The lives DACA recipients have built here in the United States reflect the very best of America and the consequences of inaction are too great,” wrote the senators in the letter addressed to Acting Secretary of DHS Elaine Duke.

Campus senior and DACA recipient Salma Mayorquin said her application was processed extremely fast and approved, but she had applied well before the Oct. 5 deadline. Mayorquin added that she knew someone who had also applied, but is still waiting while their application is being processed.

According to Mayorquin, the application has two parts: one for deferred status and another for an employment permit. Both are filed at the same time along with a history of residence in the United States, criminal and background checks and a statement explaining why applicants are seeking employment.

“It’s just part of the administration’s xenophobic way of dealing with immigration, it’s really quite sad,” Mayorquin said, on other applicants’ rejected applications due to the USPS delay. “Even though it’s the fault of the USPS, they’re still holding DACA recipients and immigrants accountable — to an even higher standard than some people in the administration.”

Stephanie Beechem, a spokesperson for UCOP, said in an email the UC was continuing its efforts to support DACA students, including early outreach to notify students of deadlines for DACA renewals and grants to help cover costs for renewal.

The DACA program was created during the Obama administration in 2012 by Janet Napolitano, former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and current UC president.

The program has allowed nearly 800,000 undocumented people to legally live, work and study in the United States — 4,000 of whom are undocumented students enrolled in the UC System. In UC Berkeley alone, 400 of the 500 undocumented students enrolled are covered by the DACA program.

Beechem said in an email, in addition to the UC’s lawsuit against against the Trump administration to halt the rescission of the DACA program, Napolitano joined a number of national security leaders Wednesday morning in a letter to Congress to pass a permanent solution to protect DACA recipient before the end of the year.

“Some of the 22,000 Dreamers who did not renew their status are already losing their work authorization and protection from deportation,” said the letter, signed by Napolitano. “The negative human consequences of the program’s termination are beginning to unfold now.”

Trump and Congress are getting ready to give them legal status. That is why Trump ended DACA before it got struck down in the courts. Trump and Congress knew after it got struck by the courts, getting legislation passed to give legal status would be much harder. Trump lied, as all politicians do.

California Defender

I don’t quite agree with that. DACA was only temporary relief from deportation. Eventually time would run out for the illegal aliens and they would be deported with or without DACA.

I do think Trump could do more, but he needs to hire more ICE agents and immigration court judges and staff. That all takes time and money, something Congress must allocate and there are too many swamp critters in the GOP right now. The swamp must be drained first.

But if there is a plan to offer citizenship, I suspect it will come with a major tightening of immigration laws, full funding for the wall, and (best of all) the end of birthright citizenship.

bogart

Birthright citizenship will never end…that is not even being considered.
We will be lucky if we get ANYTHING. Republicans want the cheap labor and Democrats want the minority votes. I wish you were right, but I don’t think so.

California Defender

Actually it is being considered.

H.R.140 – Birthright Citizenship Act of 2017 is currently being discussed in subcommittee. It currently has 37 co-sponsors with a bunch jumping on board last month.

It’s an uphill battle with the corporate Republican swamp trying to block it. But they are weakening and the bill is gaining steam.

I’m hoping and praying (and calling my congressman).

bogart

It will never happen.

California Defender

They said the same about Trump. And he’s just the ice breaker. We’re in uncharted territory now.

It’s a new world with new possibilities.

bogart

You ILLEGAL ALIENS are what is “SAD.” You are lucky you are not in Japan, Australia or many other countries where you would be booted OUT on your ILLEGAL rears. The USA doesn’t owe you anything except deportation.

California Defender

Or Mexico.

There, local police work closely with immigration agents. At the point of arrest (even for minor crimes), they determine immigration status. If illegal, they are frequently extorted for money and then quickly deported without any legal hearing. Or they are simply handed over to smugglers near the US border, whichever is more expedient.

Also, the concept of “sanctuary cities” is entirely non-existent in Mexico and any such suggestion would be downright laughable.

tyler cooper

DACA
is just like the TPS program (Temporary Protective Status) the goal for
Democrats is permanent placement in the U.S. “Delayed” or “Temporary”
are just BS terms used to mislead. These are programs used by Democrats
to import as many refugees from the third world as they can then fight
to keep them permanently. One day politicians may learn If you offer
incentives, benefits people will come by the millions. So their answer
is pass a “Dream act” legalize millions of illegal aliens (DACA.) But
they don’t want to separate families….. so add another 1-2 million.
Same with the TPS program.

Democrats, MSM, every faculty member at any university in the country
fighting to the death for illegal aliens? they put a warm and fuzzy name
on it “Dreamers.”Democrats have actually changed the language. It’s not
illegal alien anymore its “Immigrant.” They’re not adults, they are
“Kids” or “children.” and no one seem to wonder why this obsession?
future voters?

JOBS-There is an estimated 800,000 DACA recipients in the US. That is
800,000 jobs American Citizens don’t have or will be in competition
for.The MSM and Democrats would have us believe that all 800 thousand
DACA and TPS are not taking jobs Americans want (we’ve heard that lie
for many years now.) There not all picking strawberries they take great
Jobs. Good enough jobs to buy homes put their kids through college. So
when you hear of the “contributions by illegal aliens paying taxes.”
Remember that also is at a cost in jobs citizens should have. Why must
the citizens of our country have competition for jobs, education in
their own country from foreign nationals? Now Democrats and illegal
alien activists admit DACA recipients have great jobs,are buying homes,
paying taxes.

“Some” of the costs associated with illegal immigration….Dollars and Blood.

*The cost of educating illegal aliens children is staggering. From K-12
it costs taxpayers $122,000 for EACH illegal alien student. We’ve been
paying this for decades

*Now city, and state officials are appropriating millions of taxpayer
dollars for legal fees to to file law suits and in defense of illegal
aliens being deported.

*2012 illegal aliens sent home $62 BILLION in remittances back to their
countries of origin. This is why Mexico is getting involved in our
politics.

*30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Does not
include local jails and State Prisons. At $21,000 per year expense per
inmate in Federal Prison—U do the math.

*$3Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens, I
repeat 3 MILLION a DAY to process Illegals in the Criminal justice
system.

*$2.2Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as SNAP (food stamps),WIC, & free school lunches.